Ex-fire chief gets 4-5 years in Nebraska prison

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former fire chief has been sent to prison for stealing from his fire department in southeast Nebraska.

Forty-seven-year-old John Porter pleaded no contest in March in Lancaster County District Court to theft and attempted possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. On Thursday he was given three to four years for the theft and a year for the weapons charge.

Prosecutors say Porter manipulated accounts and stole more than $33,000 from November 2010 through January 2013. He's repaid the money to the Southeast Rural Fire Department, from which he was fired last year.

Police say they found more than a dozen shotguns and rifles while searching Porter's home last year. Because Porter was convicted of theft in 2006, he's ineligible to own guns.

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